Hidden Tales of the Isle
by watermelloncat
Summary: A collection of ideas I had around the Disney Descendants movies that I couldn't figure out how to turn into fully fledged fanfiction. Mostly centred around the sea three. The stories don't follow any specific order and don't coexist with one another.
1. Recruiting Harry Hook

Harry Hook was not an easy person to find. After nearly a week of looking for him Uma was beginning to consider him a myth – apart from the fact that she'd seen him, from time to time. But now when she needed him most, she couldn't find him.

She used to see him around school every so often, but not so much anymore. As they all got older people tended to show up less and less, whether from a lack of interest or having to perform family duties. The former seemed to apply to him and the latter for her.

Occasionally his father would come into the Chip Shop with his crew while she was working her shift, but he never brought any of his children - not that they'd want to hang around him.

She couldn't ask anyone where he was either, not without sounding suspicious that was. And she had really no one to ask apart from his sisters, who would only laugh at another female pursuing after their brother. She wasn't interested in him in that way, she had a goal to complete.

* * *

She'd almost had a stroke of luck two days before, when she was in the market place for fish for the shop. She'd been haggling at the stall when a group of footsteps thundered across the rooves above her. On habit she'd looked up to see a red coat flash as it leapt across rooftops and ran along the roofbeams of the market place, amidst the rest of the group.

Growing up climbing the masts of ships had made free-running come easy to him. And he was fast, easily overtaking other members of the group. The sight of the young pirate being so agile on his feet made Uma want him more. She'd hoped they would climb down and run past her so she could stop him in his tracks, but they'd continued leaping over gaps and sliding down rooves before disappearing out of sight. On the way back to the Chip Shop she'd dragged her feet in frustration, she was running out of time.

That night she'd stared out the cracked window of her bedroom, looking out at the broken ship in the water. She wondered if she would be able to take it by force but quickly ruled it out, she was good with a sword but she still wouldn't stand a chance against an adult pirate. She also considered whether she could use someone other than Harry Hook, but she ruled that out too. There was no one that she knew of with a better knowledge of sailing than him – sans his father. Plus, she needed someone she could trust and somehow, she knew that Harry would fit that description.

On the Isle it was rare to find a tightknit, unbreakable group with most people settling for the odd temporary alliance whenever it suited them. But the majority of people their age stuck mostly to themselves. Uma knew that the latter applied to Harry.

Aside from the ragtag group of free-runners, who only seemed to hang out together if they happened to be in the same area, she hadn't seen him with anyone else. Not at school, or for that matter, with anyone afterward. Apart from the occasional fight, he never seemed to interact with anybody. Which made her doubt herself on whether he would like to join her in the first place.

But she couldn't dwell on that. As much she didn't want to rely on anyone's help, she needed him.

* * *

It was odd that she hadn't spotted him sooner, seeing as they lived around the same area of the wharf, but at last the fateful day came.

Uma was out sweeping the front of the Chip Shop when she saw the red coat weaving its way through the crowd before disappearing into an alley. Without a moment's hesitation she bolted after it, not caring that she was only halfway through her shift, broom still in hand.

"Harry!" she calls out when she reaches the alley, finding him halfway down.

"Odd place to stop someone in an alley, don't you think?" he turns around slowly as Uma catches up to him. "Someone might think you're suggesting something."

"I am – but no" Uma immediately corrects herself with a twitch of her head. She sees him smirk at her in her flustered state. "I have a proposition to make."

"I've heard my wee fair share of propositions from lasses" Harry dismisses easily, making to walk back into the street the way they had come.

Uma stops him from leaving, blocking the alley with the broom.

"You haven't heard one like this before."

Harry looks down at the broom blocking his path and an amused smile spreads on his face, Uma can't help but notice that he looks slightly impressed.

"I can guarantee that I have."

"You haven't" Uma quickly denies with such confidence that Harry steps back from the broom and leans himself against the wall.

"Well, then I'm all ears, lass."

"Your father" – Uma begins before Harry scoffs.

"That's an interesting start."

Uma narrows her eyes are him, and continues like she'd never been interrupted. "Is holding a race for a ship."

Uma watches as Harry's brow furrows and he crosses his arms over his chest, the conversation clearly not going the way he thought it would be.

"I need it, but I don't have anyone to sail with me."

Harry clicks his tongue before replying, "so, I'm guessing you want me to convince my sister to help you."

"No" Uma shakes her head, "I want you."

That wasn't the answer that he'd expected and Uma watches his eyes go wide in surprise before the look is quickly masked away like it was never there.

"Alright then" Harry seems to consider. "What's in it for me?"

"It's a long story" Uma warns.

"I've got time" Harry shrugs before gesturing to her broom, "unlike you."

She looks at the broom and starts to calculate how long she has until her mother knows she's gone, before realising that she doesn't care. Turning back to him she begins, "I'm not interested in the short-term _'stealing what you want to decorate your bedroom' _kinda stuff, just to make life in this hellhole that little bit better."

Immediately, she has Harry's attention as he nods along with her with an amused expression on his face. She's not sure whether he's intrigued by her ferocity, or if she's finally found someone with the same viewpoint as her.

"I'm interested in the long-term" she explains, then eyes him seriously. "Can I trust you?"

"Can you trust anyone around here?"

Uma swallows heavily, she knows she can't. But there's something in his answer that she can see through, and she decides to take the risk.

"I'm looking for a way off."

A small course of shock sends Harry pressing his back further into the wall. His jaw twitches like he's about to say something, but he can't will any words to come out.

"And I think I've found it" Uma reveals. "But first I need to win that race."

"I hate to ruin your plan already" Harry cuts in, "but a broken ship isn't going to sail you through the barrier."

"That's not what I wanna use it for" Uma dismisses. "Have you heard about King Triton's trident?"

"I hear about everything in these waters."

"I'm going to find it" Uma tells him.

"_Also_" Harry draws out, "its magic won't work on this side of the barrier."

"Look I appreciate you critiquing my plan" Uma narrows her eyes, "but I already have it figured out."

"I can see" Harry chuckles, adjusting his position higher up against the wall.

"I want to use it as a bargaining chip" Uma continues.

"You want to trade it for your freedom, after you find it, after win the ship from race that you need my help for?" Harry checks.

"Yes" Uma nods.

"And I'm supposed to get _what _out of this?"

Uma cracks a smile. "If I get out, I'll take you with me."

Harry chews at his bottom lip before pushing himself off the wall with his foot. "You, lass, have yourself a deal."


	2. Meeting Harry Hook

Uma screams in frustration as she throws her clothes on her bed. All she wanted to do after her shift was take off her shoes, throw herself on her bed and pass out. But her mother just _had_ to ruin it, demanding that they go to Captain Hook's gathering on his ship. From Uma knew about pirate gatherings was that they tended to go on for ages, and she doesn't feel like socialising.

It hadn't been long since the incident with Mal and the shrimp, since then she'd holed herself up in her mum's Chip Shop. The name calling wasn't so bad this side of the Isle, but she still refused to show her face anymore than necessary. And right now, she was tired beyond belief. _So, forgive her for acting like a child._

She scowled so hard that her mother would accuse her of trying to break her face, as she got changed out of her grease stained clothing and into something mildly presentable. She didn't feel like putting in much effort. She procrastinates going back downstairs until her mother yells at her, choosing to sulk around her room instead. When the time came, she made sure to stomp down the stairs just to prove a point.

* * *

On the way to the Jolly Rodger, Uma drags her feet along the road kicking up clouds of dirt. Even from around the corner they can hear the party noise from the ship. Uma huffs and glares at her mother, this really wasn't her scene.

"Oh, _relax_" her mother mocks, "you'll be below deck with the rest of the little rapscallions."

"Great" Uma mumbles. As if hanging out with a bunch of kids would make her feel any better about the situation. She was hoping to find a corner where she could avoid people. Maybe she could sneak away and hide somewhere on the ship and go unnoticed.

That plan didn't work out seeing as Ursula took it upon herself to personally escort her daughter below deck to where the rest of the kids are hanging about. Around the room a group of about ten of them sit in a circle on a mix of chairs, boxes and couches. She recognises a few faces, some of the regulars from her mother's shop, Sammy son of Smee, and she figures that's Captain Hook's son Harry in the middle.

Although she's never really been friendly with any of them, Harry flashes her a smile as her mother pushes her into the room before disappearing. Now devoid of her mother, she stands there awkwardly and debates whether she can turn around and leave. She's old enough to look after herself – not that anyone would care if she weren't. But the group is surprisingly friendly and they wave her in to come sit with them. Reluctantly her feet obey and she's welcomed into the empty spot on the couch next to Harry.

She finds the group is happy to leave her alone as they continue with their previous conversation from before she was shoved into the room. Over the next few minutes she sits there listening and begins to wonder whether they'll go about the rest of the night like she's not there. But it's short lived as someone hands her a glass bottle - about half an inch of liquid left inside - that she'd noticed being passed around the circle.

"Drink" one of the boys prompts her, nodding to the bottle.

Uma stares at the bottle in her hands and doesn't know why she took it. To her dismay calls for her to drink echo around the circle. She doesn't know how long it takes for her brain to short-circuit and then wonder if it would be better if she just drunk the liquid, but another hand is on the bottle before she can.

"Leave 'er alone" Harry says taking the bottle out of her hands. He then precedes to skull its contents before reaching over and placing it empty on the table beside him.

"Ye'd be lucky I didn't smash it over ye head instead" he eyes the boy who lead the chant, causing the rest of the group to erupt in laugher and jabs at the boy's expense.

In amidst the noise Uma addresses Harry without turning her head. "Thanks" she says quietly.

"No problem" he says and she can feel his eyes staring at her.

* * *

Like that was her initiation, from that point onwards she feels better about talking with the rest of the group. Uma finds that not a lot of them are actually friends, but their parents all know one another, so they know each other well enough. She learns that one of the girls' name is Desiree and her brother is up on the deck drinking with a group of older kids including Harry's older sister.

All of sudden their conversation stops when Harriet comes to stand in the doorway. "Harry, mark another one down" she says as she leans against the doorframe.

"Which one?" Harry says getting up off the couch.

"Dunno."

"Well, what'd he look like?" Harry uses an obvious tone as he walks to the edge of the room.

"Uh… red hair, tattoos and a peg leg" Harriet lists, looking up in thought.

A laugh erupts from one of the kids sitting on the boxes. "That's Jukes!"

Another kid looks mortified and receives a punch on the arm. Uma figures that's his son.

Thoroughly confused at what's happening, Uma looks over at Harry standing in front of a weathered blackboard ruled out in a table with tally marks. In the top section he draws a mark in before scanning the side column where names are listed. About halfway down, he puts another mark in a square next to the name 'Jukes' where three marks are already. Without thinking, Uma's curiosity gets the best of her and she leaves her seat to join him.

"What is this?" she gestures to the table when she reaches him.

"A game of sorts, I guess. We started it a while back as a joke but then it became a regular thing" Harry stands back on his heels looking at the board.

"When someone drinks and passes out, we mark it down" Harry continues. "The top row is how many have tonight, and we keep a tally down the side for each person which stays on the board."

"What's with BLACK MURPHY?" Uma asks spotting the name in all capitals at the bottom row of the table.

"Oh, him" Harry laughs. "If he passes out, we all have to do a stupid challenge."

Uma tenses next to him.

"Don't worry lass, it probably won't happen tonight. Lad's built like a tankard" he smiles down at her.

Uma exhales in relief. She didn't want to get stuck doing a death-defying challenge - like she knew a group of pirates would choose - with a group of strangers.

"Let's get back" Harry nods his head over to the group, gesturing for Uma to follow him.

* * *

The rest of the night doesn't go as badly as she thought it would. For hours they laugh and talk about nothing. A few times Harry gets up off the couch to put another mark on the board, and when a drinking song echoes through the floorboards of the deck, they all join in. Not once did anyone mention the 'shrimpy' incident or look at her like she was less than human. And to her surprise, she finds herself actually _wanting_ to come back to one of these gatherings.

It's past midnight before people start to leave. Some with their parents either stumbling alongside or leaning heavily on them. In some cases, the child leaves alone, their parent still passed out on the deck. When it crosses Uma's mind that she'll have to leave, she finds herself wanting to stay.

With most of the rowdy people gone or having passed out, the atmosphere on the deck goes quiet. It reflects downstairs as well. There are only about five or so kids left now, most of them staying the night so their parents can sober up before they walk home in the morning. The newfound quiet makes everything seem so peaceful, with gentle waves rocking the ship.

Eventually tiredness from the day's workload catches up with her and Uma feels her eyelids closing. She tries to fight against it but the rocking waves have her under their spell. The last thing she remembers from that night is falling asleep against someone who wraps their arm around her.


	3. Lightning Crashes

A crash of thunder in the dark sky above wakes Uma from her peaceful sleep aboard the Lost Revenge. Rolling onto her back she becomes more cognizant of the rain outside battering the walls of the ship. She'd seen the weather report on the little TV in the Chip Shop during her shift earlier that day, but it hadn't said it would turn into a storm.

_Shit_, she abruptly thinks as she throws off her covers and rockets out of bed. Harry is supposed to be taking watch that night and if Uma knows anything about that boy's dedication, he'll be sitting out in the storm. She only hopes that he's had the common sense to get down from the crow's nest, as she sets about getting to the deck of the ship. Making her way through the corridors she spares a second to thank the Gods that the waves are still relatively calm and not posing any danger of knocking the ship against the wharf.

A gust of wind whips her braids in her face as she opens the door to the deck of the ship. Pushing them away she looks around to find Harry sitting with his back against the wall next to the door, minimising the amount of rain that can hit him. Although he's shivering with his knees tucked into his chest, he doesn't seem fazed, having long excepted being completely drenched.

"Harry, get inside" Uma calls out to him. Even though she's only a few steps away from him her voice still gets moderately lost in the storm.

He looks over at her and then pulls out his pocket watch, letting it sit in his hand to stop it blowing in the wind. "Watch isn't even halfway through."

"I don't care" Uma dismisses, "get inside."

Harry doesn't move.

"No one's going to attack in weather like this. Unless they want to risk slipping off the deck in a fight" Uma justifies.

He seems to consider this and Uma takes his hand to pull him up. "Your hand's cold" the words fall out of her mouth at Harry's icy grip. She pulls him inside and quickly shuts the door behind them, the sound of the rain being instantly muffled.

"I'm going to the kitchen to get something that'll warm you up. Go get dry" she commands before they go their separate ways.

Making her way to Harry's room through the halls, she holds a mug of tea in each hand. It probably wasn't anything good but she'd been offered some by a group of crew mates who were up playing cards because they couldn't sleep.

Shouldering the door open she steps into Harry's room, finding him on his bed wrapped in a blanket. The corners of the wall pressing it against his skin while he shivers. She notes that his coat and shoes have been stripped off but otherwise he remains in his wet clothes.

"Why didn't you get changed out of them ya dolt?" Uma sighs in exasperation. She puts down the cups on his nightstand and gets a towel out from one of the draws under his bed. "Go get dry" she throws it at him.

Obediently Harry gets off the bed and switches place with Uma, who faces the wall while he gets changed. She won't lie, she's tempted to turn around and catch the slightest glimpse but she's afraid she'll get caught and have to explain herself. So, she waits impatiently while he goes about his room getting clothes out from draws and drying off.

At long last she hears the sound of the towel being thrown on the floor and she turns back around. "That better?" she asks seeing Harry in long sleeved shirt and a pair of old Tourney trackpants; the Auradon Fighting Knight's sigil of a helmet and crossed swords embroidered on the hip. It's an odd sight for Uma to see him in long sleeves with his arms hidden away, but she'd like it a lot less if they didn't hug their shape.

Harry sniffs and runs his hand through his wet hair.

"You're not sick, are you?" Uma narrows her eyes at his tired expression.

"Just still cold" he mumbles quietly.

"Come up here" Uma shifts herself to the edge of the bed by the headboard.

Harry does as she says and sits on the bed next to her. Uma wraps a blanket around both of them before reaching forward for the cups of tea on the nightstand.

"I'll take over Jonas' watch tomorrow night" Harry says when he's about halfway through his cup.

Uma shakes her head. "No."

Harry raises his eyebrows at her over the rim while he takes another sip.

"You've been working hard lately; you don't owe anyone to play catch up" Uma denies.

Harry says nothing as he downs the rest of his cup before placing it on the small table by the bed, stifling a yawn into his fist.

"I shouldn't have even let you go out tonight" Uma says as she adjusts the blanket that had fallen off of Harry's shoulders.

Harry hums in content as he leans into her. "'m gonna fall asleep on you" he says, his words slurring as his body relaxes.

"Hold on" Uma shrugs her shoulder making him lift his head, before she shuffles back against the wall, Harry following suit. With them both comfortably next to each other she says, "go ahead."

With lightning crashing outside, her first mate falls asleep on her shoulder.


	4. What's Your Name

**Warning:** This story contains the cutting of a wrist (not in the common sense) and a theme of child abuse. If any of these points could be triggering for you, or even if you are unsure, please don't read this.

* * *

"Where were you?" Uma asks, leaning against the doorway of Harry's bedroom where she'd found him sitting on his bed. "You missed today's orders. I left the crew to come find you."

Harry spares her a quick glance, which is only enough for Uma to know that he's acknowledged her presence. Though he says nothing, too emotionally detached to answer.

Understanding instantly washes over Uma, she'd only ever seen Harry this withdrawn a couple of times before. All having something to do with his father. "What did he do this time?"

Harry doesn't respond, only continues to stare down at his hook.

"I'm not angry at you, I never was" Uma promises as she steps into his room. "I'm just worried about you."

"Well don't worry about me" Harry snaps suddenly, swinging his legs off the bed. "Did it ever strike ye that I wanna be alone?"

She grabs his wrist to stop him as he strides past her, only for him to hiss in pain. Uma instantly pulls away in surprise. "Harry, what did he do?" Uma's voice raises in urgency.

Harry says nothing and keeps walking away from her.

"What did he do, Harry?" Uma quickens her pace until she rounds in front of him, stopping him in the middle of the living room.

Harry freezes, his jaw set but his breathing deep and uneven. A reaction that Uma has never seen from him. It's clear to her that he knows that she'll never drop the topic and there's no way for him to get out of it.

"What did he do?" Uma repeats slowly in the calmest voice she can manage. She knows the tell-tale signs of panic and she puts her hands on his arms gently, hoping that it will work to ground him.

Harry swallows convulsively but says nothing. Uma knows that he can't bring himself to speak but he won't stop her from finding answers for herself.

Slowly she trails her hands down his left arm until they reach his wrist. Carefully she pulls it away from his body and unwraps the bandage. Instinctively she closes her eyes and looks away from the gash curling halfway around his wrist. By the looks of things, Harry hadn't done anything to clean it up except stopping the bleeding. Uma didn't blame him; she knew that his mind would be elsewhere.

"Come on, I'm getting you out of the house" Uma sparks into action, rewrapping the bandage over the cut. "Let's get you cleaned up."

It was Gil who spotted them first when they boarded the Lost Revenge. He bounded towards them through the group of crewmates on the deck and opened his mouth to say something to Harry, but Uma quickly held up a hand and continued walking. Obediently, he closed his mouth and followed behind them into the depths of the ship.

Trailing after them through the corridors, Gil realises that they are heading for the medical room. A shot of adrenaline pulses through his veins and he closes the gap that had formed between them. He's confused, neither of them seems to be hurt. No one is limping or clutching at a broken bone. But then he remembers Harry missing the crew's orders and knows it must have something to do with him.

Turning into the medical room Uma immediately gets to work, sitting Harry on one of the beds and grabbing a medical box off one of the shelves. As she kneels down in front of him, Harry moves his arm to rest on his knee so she can get a better look at it. She unloads a few supplies out of the box before carefully unwrapping the bandage. Gil gasps from where he stands in the doorway, he knows that his face has gone white as he feels the blood drain from it. He's known Harry to hurt himself in a fit of anger, but normally it's punching a wall and bruising his hand. Gil had never expected for blood to be drawn.

"It's not what ye think" Harry's solemn voice reassures him. Although Gil's not sure if that makes it any better or not.

"You're going to need stitches" Uma's voice draws their attention back down to her on the floor. "Gil, go get the rum."

Quickly he nods his head and leaves for the kitchen.

"I want the pain" Harry says once Gil had disappeared.

"I know you want it," Uma takes his hand in her own, "but it's not something that you deserve. This isn't your fault."

Uma keeps her hand in his while her other cleans off the dried blood around the cut. She counts him lucky that none of his arteries were severed because by the looks of it if the cut had gone a little deeper, they would have been.

To his credit Harry didn't flinch or try to pull away while Uma worked. The only signal to his pain that Uma picked up on was the slight squint of one of his eyes. By the time the cut was clean Gil had returned with the bottle of rum. He gave it to Harry for him to take a swig and then to Uma who poured some of it on the cut to disinfect it. It was times like these that she wished they were in Auradon where they had proper medical supplies, but they weren't and this would have to do.

If anything was fortunate about the situation it was that it was a clean cut, allowing Uma to work quickly to stitch Harry back together. Once she was done, she wrapped a new bandage around it and gave Harry another swig from the bottle before standing up.

"Let's get some lunch."

Together they sit in one of the booths at the back of the chip shop, eating in silence. The tray of food being pushed around the table, Uma and Gil trying to get Harry to eat something only for him to eat a little before pushing it back. Little by little it worked though, and eventually they were happy and left the tray in the table's centre.

"Spit it out, or we'll start guessing" Uma introduces, her voice dripping with authority.

"There was nothin' new" Harry makes a dismissal gesture, lifting his fingers up from the table.

"Your father trying to cut your hand off is new" Uma points out.

Harry's eyes avoid Gil's nauseated look as he stares down at Harry's wrist, only for them to follow his gaze. The pain in his wrist is dull in the back of his mind, lacking priority over the words that were said. The more he tries not to think of them, the more he thinks of them instead. _Shame_. He shuts his eyes as they circle back and echoing through his mind. _Disappointment_. His jaw clenches as he tries to will them away, but he feels himself slipping back into his thoughts. '_What's your name?'_

He drops his hook, suddenly feeling sick to hold it.

Over the last few seconds Uma had watched a battle take place in Harry's mind. But it wasn't until she hears the sound of metal hitting the table, that she becomes aware of the gravity of the situation.

"Harry" she breathes, watching the hook sway to a stop on the table. Her heart hammers in her chest as she watches her first mate withdraw his hand away from the symbol of his being.

Many times, in the next minute she tries to say something only to stop short. No words could explain her confusion or her heartache. To her surprise it was Gil who broke the silence.

"Harry, tell us what he did?" his words are slightly stuttered like it takes a vast amount of effort just to get them out. But they have their effect as Harry looks back up at them.

He takes a breath to steady himself before he begins to explain. "It wasn't until recently that 'e found out that Uma's the Captain of our crew."

At the mention of her name, Uma leans further into the conversation. Resting her elbows on the table with a look of puzzlement on her face.

"He doesn't want me takin' orders from" – he stops himself; he couldn't let his Captain know his father's true thoughts about her – "from anyone."

"He thinks you should have your own crew" Uma distinguishes.

Harry nods, "me sister's both have their own crew, ye see." Throughout his words he tries to keep emotion out of it, to make sure he thinks blank so his mind won't slip back into the events of the last night. But he can feel himself slipping and his mind is transported back into his living room.

* * *

"It's in your blood!" Captain Hook was yelling as Harry stands feet away from him, motionless and forced to listen. "You're the next man of the household and you're taking orders from some _bitch_ who wasn't even born a pirate!"

The words nearly knock Harry backward. It takes all his willpower and then some, for him not to fire back at his father for insulting his Captain.

"What's your name?" his father's words are left unanswered. "What's your name?!"

Harry, shocked to find that his father actually wants an answer, responds quietly, "Harry."

"Louder boy!"

"Harry" he speaks firmly.

"You know what that means?" This time Harry knows that his father doesn't want an answer.

"Army commander, a War chief, Ruler of the home!" his father abruptly leaves him and walks toward the table where he fixes his hook back to his arm. "You are none of those things" he says turning back to him. "Where is your crew boy, hmm?"

"I don't have one" Harry says eyeing the hook as it flashes dangerously as his father's hand, catching the light off the ceiling. He's not threatened by the weapon, knowing it's most likely a dominance display, but he allows his father to back him against the wall nonetheless.

"You are not fit to rule this home, you've brought me nothing but shame and disappointment" Captain Hook criticizes. "The only way you'd be worthy to carry my name is if you had a hook yourself."

Unexpectedly, his father grabs his left forearm and pins it against the wall. At the sudden restraint Harry tries to pull his arm away, his muscles tensing in an effort enough to hurt his shoulder, but his father's grip is too strong and it won't move. At the raise of his father's hook, Harry tries one last effort at wrenching his arm away but the grip on it only tightens. He can't help the yell of pain that escapes him as the hook slices through his skin. His eyes fuzz out and he scrunches them shut, he's sure that by the next time he looks his hand will be gone. But to his surprise the hook stops.

Opening his eyes, he sees his father leaning in close to him, his hook now under his chin. "But even then, you wouldn't be worthy."

Then his father disappears, leaving his son standing alone with blood dripping from his arm.

* * *

Harry didn't know what he expected to happen at the conclusion of his story, but it certainly wasn't the glistening of tears threatening to run down his friends' faces. It was common for parents to treat their children badly on the Isle, but neither of his friends had heard of anything as vile as that.

"You listen to none of that" Uma was firm in her tone but her words shook. "We won't tell you that it doesn't matter" - she looks over at Gil for confirmation and receives it as he nods his head - "because we know it does to you. But don't listen to him."

"I'm an insult to me bloodline" is all Harry mutters as the words pass over him. He's too lost in his thoughts to hear what Uma says to Gil before he stands out of his chair and clasps Harry on the shoulder, before walking across the shop to be with the rest of the crew.

It was Uma taking his hand in hers which drew Harry's attention back to her. "I don't get your relationship with him" she begins. "You're so proud to have him as a father but it's like he doesn't want you as a son."

"Then you understand it perfectly" Harry says, some of his charm starting to come back.

"Why do you work so hard to please him?"

"Why do you work so hard to please _your_ mother?" Harry turns the question around on her, and she immediately understands.

Their parents, alike most others on the Isle, didn't care about their children unless it was what they could do for them. But driven by an innate response, they continuously try to gratify the people who gave them life in this hellhole, only to consistently fall short. It's hopeless but it isn't something they can ever give up on. The system is sick.

"Point made" Uma mutters in defeat, looking around at the rest of the crew leaving the Chip Shop. "We should head back to the ship."

"For the record, I think you'd make a great captain" Uma breaks the silence they had fallen into on the way to her quarters, as soon as they step through its door.

"I don't wanna be a captain" Harry dismisses as Uma leads him over to sit on her bed.

"But you're not happy" Uma furrows her brow as she sits down. "I know when you first joined me you struggled to come to terms with it."

"I did" Harry admits. "But that wasn't entirely my ambition."

Uma nods, not needing to be reminded of the story that Harry had retold earlier.

"Well, you could leave and create your own crew" Uma states although she doesn't want it. "But I would take over your territory within a week."

Harry laughs but it doesn't reach his eyes. Uma can see how the day has worn on him and wonders how much sleep he had gotten last night.

"I couldn't be a captain" Harry denies.

"Why not?" Uma says confused. She's known that ever since he was a young boy, Harry has wanted his own crew, regardless of what his father thought. At times she's wondered why he's stayed with her this long – and now she wonders what's changed.

"I couldn't… I can't be as good as you" he shakes his head.

"You could be better" Uma puts her hand on his arm that's resting on his knee, careful to avoid the bandage.

"No, I couldn't" He looks down at the point where they touch. "Not in the way that you care for everyone as if they're ye own blood."

Uma can't help but feel a swell of pride at his words. But then she feels selfish for taking the moment to feel good about herself when she should be there for him.

"Do you want to sleep, or do you want a distraction?" Uma asks, willing to help him take his mind off things.

"Sleep, I think" Harry says unsurely. But he looks tired and emotionally drained, so Uma has no problem confirming the decision for him.

"Okay" she says softly.

Like a practiced art, they both settle down on her bed. Instantly fitting against each other with Uma pressed against Harry's back. She puts an arm over him as he closes his eyes, "I'll watch over you."


	5. Seven of Spades

**Author's Note:** Sorry guys, just a short one this week. I had planned on posting another one but I didn't want to have two darker topics right next to each other, so I wrote this one instead.

If you want more Descendants fanfiction to fill your week, go check out my new story Dyscalculia – I really enjoyed writing that one.

* * *

The argument had been going on for awhile now, but Uma had been tuning it out. It was one of the rare nice days on the Isle and the crew hung around on the deck of the Lost Revenge, enjoying the rays of sun.

Uma sat on the steps on the deck watching the crew. Some fished off the back of the ship, others sparred with their swords, while a few were quickly finishing off their chores so they could come and enjoy the sun.

Currently what drew her eye was a group of pirates sitting in a circle in front of her, playing a game of cards. Over the last few minutes an argument had been going on around the circle accusing people of cheating. It hadn't fazed Uma initially, the crew argued all the time, but it's insistence on continuing was getting annoying.

"For the last time, I don't have it!" one member complains after they passed on their turn, unable to put any cards down in the game of Sevens.

"Well the rest of us don't!" another retaliates. "Why would we stitch ourselves up?"

"Exactly!" the first member yells. "Why would I stitch _myself_ up?"

An overlap of voices yell across the circle, none of them listening to others trying to get them to calm down.

"Alright!" Uma stands up from the top step, towering over the group. At the sound of authority in her voice everyone in the circle freezes and goes quiet, watching their Captain as she comes down the steps. "What card is missing?"

"Seven of Spades, Captain" one crew member answers.

"Everyone put down your hands" Uma instructs.

Obeying the order, they all lower their hands, murmurs starting to breakout when they realise no one has it.

"Someone will be sitting on it" one of them suggests.

"Stand up then" Uma commands, gesturing frustratedly for them to get up after they remain sitting still. Feeling like she's commanding a bunch of five-year-olds.

After the scramble to stand up, the group move their feet checking for the card underneath their shoes.

"It's not here" one voice stands out from the confused mumbles.

Uma scoffs and shakes her head before climbing back up the stairs on the deck.

"Alright! Everyone, listen up!" Uma yells, her voice carrying out across the deck. At the command all the crew look over and she nods her head, gesturing for them to file in. As they do, she explains, "it has come to my attention that we are missing a card. The Seven of Spades."

She looks down at the group now obediently standing in front of her. "First one to bring me back a new one gets tomorrow off their chores!"

A smile spreads across her face as the crew immediately turn tails and scramble off the ship, pushing each other out of the way. The Isle is a tough place to live and it's funny how having one card to complete a deck, could make it just that little bit better.


	6. The Cove

**Warning:** This story contains a theme of attempted suicide. If this could be triggering or upsetting for you, even if you aren't sure, please don't read this.

* * *

Her hand hovered nervously at the frame of the door. It was the dead of night and the waves gently rocked the ship under CJ's feet as she stood outside her brother's room. She would find it peaceful if it weren't for the thoughts in her mind.

She swallowed nervously as she stared at the cracked door, through it she could see Harry in his bed sound asleep. In her mind she debated whether she should wake him up or if this time she could handle it on her own. Her weight shifted between her feet while her brain tried to decide if she would turn around.

With a deep intake of breath, she musters up her courage and knocks.

* * *

Harry was disturbed out of sleep by a soft wrapping sound. His initial thought of something falling from his desk was halted when he sees his sister standing nervously in his doorway.

"What's wrong?" he knows to ask immediately. His voice gravely from sleep.

"I-I had another nightmare" CJ's small voice only just reaches his ears over the sound of the waves.

Harry sighs as he pushes himself up in bed. "Dad again?"

CJ nods and her lip starts to quiver.

"Come 'ere" Harry nods his head gesturing for her to come to him.

Immediately she detaches herself from the doorway and rushes over to Harry, coming to sit in front of him on the bed. After tucking her legs up onto the mattress, she feels Harry's arms wrap around her. At his touch her breath shudders as she begins to shake with emotion. Behind her eyes burn with the desire to cry and she tries to resist - this is the Isle and there is no place for it. But she fails as a tear rolls down her cheek and onto Harry's shoulder.

Initially she can't speak, not being able to form words while her lungs heave for breath. But eventually she gains enough control to choke a few out, "I killed mum."

At her words Harry straightens up, pulling her closer to him. "You didn't" was all he could bring himself to say. He was tired of all the lies his father feed her about the death of their mother, he didn't want to entertain them if he could help it.

"How do you not hate me?" CJ sobs, her mind telling her that she doesn't want to hear his answer.

"I can't hate you" Harry grips her tighter, more for his comfort than her own.

"But you knew her, and I killed her" CJ buries her head further into his chest in shame.

CJ feels Harry sigh deeply against her. "You're right, I did know her" Harry acknowledges. "And I also know that she knew the risk of having children here."

CJ sniffs, seeming to be calming down at Harry's words.

"It's no one's fault and you know that" Harry says before he looks down to plant a kiss on her head.

"Dad doesn't" she mumbles.

"He does" Harry grits his teeth at the thought. "He just needs someone to blame, and I'm sorry that that person is you. You know that I would change that if I could."

Harry's words hang in the air as he holds her for a while in the silence. There was something special about the moment – one shared with affection that they couldn't show in the daylight. The Isle didn't allow for comfort to be shown between anyone, even family – even when someone really needed it.

"I hate living here" CJ whispers, not caring whether Harry hears it or not.

"That, I believe, is the point" Harry says in the lightest tone he can muster. But there isn't much happiness to find in the situation.

"_No one asks to be alive_" CJ sobs again. "We're just expected to take it and deal with it."

Harry says nothing. He can't because those thoughts are also his own.

"Why did we have to be born here? Why not be born to people that actually care for us?"

Part of Harry hates himself for saying this, but he knew it needed to be said, "if mum were alive, she would."

"Would she?" CJ asks, a mix of hope and longing in her small voice.

Harry nods, and he smiles slightly as he thinks of the life that could have been theirs.

"Do you think she hates me?" CJ wonders.

"No" Harry shakes his head. He doesn't think he's ever been so confident of an answer in his life.

"I wish she was here."

"She is" Harry looks down at his sister, who pulls away to look up at him. "Down by the cove with the caves where we sent her off. Where you stand on the face of the rocks and look out to the water." He smiles picturing the bluest water in all of the Isle, the secluded landscape where there are no makeshift shacks or shipwrecks in sight – if you had a good enough imagination, you might just think you were somewhere else. "Her spirit is there."

"When I die, I wanna go there too" CJ's words slur as tiredness overtakes her, emotion having taken its toll.

Sensing his sister was about to nod off, Harry lies back down gesturing for CJ to do the same. As she settles down instead of turning away from him, she faces towards him and curls herself up into his chest. Finally relaxing as he pulls the blankets over them both and places his arm over her shoulders.

* * *

Harry was glad for the distraction of stacking trays and dishes in the Chip Shop, it helped take his mind off the events of that morning. Means to say, when Captain Hook found out that his youngest daughter had spent the night in her brother's room for the sake of a nightmare, he was none to pleased. Weakness of such would not be tolerated within his family.

For minutes on end Harry and Harriet were forced to listen to their father yell abuse at CJ, trading solemn looks with each other from across the kitchen, knowing that they could do nothing until it stopped. They averted their eyes unable to look at their sister as she cowered, backed up against a wall tears threatening to spill down her face, while their father's hateful words shook the ship. At last when it finally ceased, CJ disappeared out the door without a word.

Her older siblings had made to follow her but their father held them back, lecturing them that providing comfort was also something not to be tolerated. By the time it was over and they had gone to find her, she was long gone.

* * *

Placing down yet another tray, Harry hears a gasp of commotion as the saloon doors burst open. Purely out of habit, he looks up to see Gil standing breathlessly in front the doors still swinging. It takes no genius to know that something is terribly wrong. Gil's chest heaves for breath and he shakes with adrenaline, his eyes frantically searching for someone.

"Harry!" he yells when he spots him.

Confused Harry places the trays down on a table as he walks toward him. At the same moment Uma comes out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a tea towel, eyeing the situation carefully.

"It's CJ! Harriet's not far behind" he explains panting as he closes the gap between him and Harry. He had seen Harriet in the street and run ahead, knowing that he'd be faster.

At Gil's words the picture of the situation crashed into Harry so fast that he felt like he'd physically been hit. Without a word or a second's delay he was running out the door with Gil and Uma following behind.

* * *

They almost collided with Harriet on the wharf just coming up to the door of the shop. She was breathless with tears running down her face. Unable to form any words to explain, she hands Harry the note she'd been holding in her hand.

It was doubtful that Harry even read the note. Having a note was pretty self-explanatory, and there was no time – if they even had any left. His face was pale and he visibly shook as he held it. Uma was about to put a hand on his arm just to let him know she was there, but he suddenly sparked into action.

"The cove" was all he said in a voice so fragile that it couldn't possibly belong to him. Remembering back to the night before when CJ had told him where she wanted to go when she died.

Within an instant of his words registering, it was like they were never there on the wharf, having speed off to the cove.

* * *

Without consulting they all spread out when they reached the sandy shore. Harry's boots pounded into the sand and up rocks as he climbed them, searching for any sign of his sister. Below him Uma searched around the caves made by fallen rocks. Behind them Harriet ran across the beach looking out into the water.

At the sound of Gil's shout, Harry skidded down the rocks and ran over to the sound of his voice. After weaving his way through path of fallen boulders and splashing through a stream, Harry saw him up ahead, standing before a flat face of rocks. Further along he could make out the silhouette of his younger sister standing at the edge of the rock face, spray from the waves faintly splashing up around her.

He didn't slow his pace as he ran to her, placing his hands on Gil's shoulders to keep him out of the way as he sprinted past. Behind them the rest of the group closed in as Harry reached CJ just as she jumped.

* * *

The waves below were so beautiful as she looked down upon them. Foam made swirling patterns in white, hypnotising her to fall into them.

Wind blew around her whipping her hair into her face where it stuck to her drying tears. It encompassed her to a feeling where she felt safe as it wrapped around her like an embrace. Gently it pushed her closer to the edge, leading her steps along. It would guide her down to the water waiting for her.

It wouldn't matter what would happen now, she would be safe and away in another world far from this own. Closing her eyes, she took her last breath and prepared for the wind to ascend her. She could feel it surging behind her and she felt peace that her time was up.

As one of her feet lifted from the rock, allowing her to begin her fall, she felt a different embrace latch onto her.

* * *

As soon as Harry's arms closed around her, he pulled her away from the edge. Holding on to her he knew he could only walk so far before his legs gave out, so he sunk down to the rock pulling CJ onto his crossed legs.

"Don't do this – don't do this to me" he begs her as tears fall freely from his eyes. He buries his face in her hair as Harriet reaches them, skidding down to the ground beside them.

"I can't do this anymore" CJ voice is monotonous and clear as she speaks above the wind, like she's lost all emotion.

From where Uma stands next to Gil, she can't make out Harriet's words but she can tell her tone is gentle. It's like time is frozen as she stands there, watching on helplessly. She feels like she should go over to them but she can't will herself to move.

"We should leave them be" Gil's voice breaks her out of her thoughts.

Uma looks up at him, lost on what to do. But the look in his eyes convinces her that this is a family matter. She draws in a breath, looking back at the group of siblings on the rocks before she hesitantly lets Gil take her hand and pull her away.

* * *

It was early in the Chip Shop as Uma swept the floors before the patrons came in. Her only focus was not stepping in the dust pile at her feet until the sound swinging doors caught her attention.

Looking up towards the sound she expects to see the first of the customers filing in but is surprised when she sees Harry instead. It's obvious that he hasn't slept, having grey lines under his eyes that no amount of charcoal can hide.

"How is she?" Uma asks as she leans the broom against a table and opens her arms out for him to walk into.

"She's asleep and Harriet's with her. But I have no idea" he tells her as he walks into her arms, his voice sounding strained. He doesn't move his arms to return her embrace, like he can't summon up the energy to lift them.

Though Uma doesn't mind – moments like this were special because they so rarely got to share them. She only pulls him closer so she can lean her head onto his chest, more for her own comfort than his. The day before was the only time she'd seen Harry cry, and she never wanted to again. To see someone so strong break was scary for her, because if they were broken what would that mean for her?

"Go be with her" Uma instructs as she pulls away.

Harry remains still and looks hesitant to leave.

"She needs you right now" Uma tells him in the gentlest Captain's voice she has.

She never thought it would bring her peace to see her first mate leave her and watch the doors swing shut behind him. But that day, it did.


	7. Tired

Unbeknownst to her, Uma's mind had been ticking away at how strange it was for him to be sitting alone. As usual the crew sat around the front bench: eating, laughing, squabbling. Yet he sat off to the side away from it all, his posture slumped over the counter with his head in his hands. With the thought of this abnormality now at the forefront of her mind, Uma delivers the tray in her hands to the awaiting table before making her way over to her first mate.

Coming up from behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders, Harry startles at her touch. "You alright?" she remarks at the uncharacteristic response. Harry normally being on high alert.

Harry inhales deeply like he's just waking up.

Uma frowns as he pushes himself off the counter to sit straighter. He looks tired, his movements seem heavy and his skin is ever so slightly grey. "When was the last time you slept?" Uma asks as she jumps up onto the stool next to him.

"Last night" his voice is croaky with fatigue.

"Not for nearly long enough."

Harry hums, not bothered to find any words.

Uma sighs, there is no doubt in her mind that he's been overworked. There were crew members who needed to be shown the ropes, supplies that needed to be counted and distributed, his own rounds to be completed for the crew and the rounds for his family. Couple that with a new gang who hadn't figured out not to mess with their territory yet, it was no wonder that he was so run down. Then add on to that, him picking up the slack from a couple of crew mates who'd though it be funny to dare each other to hang off the mast in the rain and had hurt themselves slipping off… maybe Uma shouldn't have allowed him to do that.

"How much do you have to do today?" she asks.

"Count and distribute the weeks takings, show the new crew mates how to man the sails, sparring practice with a few others," he clears his throat to stop his voice failing, "and then my rounds."

"And what about for your dad's ship?"

Harry groans and rubs at his eyes. "Clean the cannons."

"But he doesn't use them" she points out with a look of confusion.

"You think that matters to him?" Harry says as he suppresses a yawn behind the back of his gloved hand.

Uma purses her lips as her brain ticks away for a solution. "Don't worry about the new crew mates, that job can wait. Gil can take them for sparring practice, and I'll deal with the takings" she resolves.

"But you've got your shift here" Harry points out.

"I get off after lunch, so it'll just be done a bit later than usual" she tells him. "How long have you got till you have to be at your dad's ship?"

Harry sighs as he pulls out his pocket watch, he looks at it for far longer than normal while his brain slowly works out the time. "Half an hour."

Uma purses her lips, that was a lot sooner than she'd wanted. She had hoped he would have an hour or two to sleep beforehand, but that wasn't going to be the case. "You might as well head off now, get it done quicker" she tells him, knowing that if he took a nap now, he would wake up feeling worse.

Harry nods as he stands up, his muscles seeming to shake as he stretches them out. "I'll meet you back at the ship."

* * *

"I thought he'd be back by now" Uma impatiently taps a pen on the edge of her desk.

"Just give him a few more minutes. It's not quite dark yet" Gil tells her calmly from where he sits in a chair a short distance away from her.

Uma looks at the money at the edge of her desk; she distributed the rest of the takings out to the crew but had yet to give Harry his. She knows that nothing bad will have happened to him, but her mind can't help but wander into those thoughts.

"You don't think he would have just crashed at his dad's ship?" Gil pulls her back out.

"Nah, he told me he would meet me back here" Uma shakes her head, looking down at her hands on her lap.

To her surprise it isn't Gil's voice that answers her. "I did, and I am" Harry says as he walks into the room. His voice is scratchy and almost gone from exhaustion.

"Harry" Uma exclaims, standing out of her chair. Even in his tired state, Harry knows that her tone is questioning the state of his voice – but he would ignore it.

"Dad wanted me to run a couple of errands in the market, so I did my rounds as well" Harry explains as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of blue notes. As he puts the takings down on her desk, Uma doesn't study the money, instead she watches as his hand shakes.

She reaches out and grabs it. Harry pauses as she holds it, looking down at her in question.

"You're shaking?"

"I'm fine" he dismisses.

Uma huffs and drops it, rolling her eyes. She hasn't heard a lie so blatant in a long while. "Well take this," she says holding his share of the takings out to him, "it's yours."

As he reaches out to collect it, he shudders forward with an exhale and the arm he had reached out moves past Uma's hand to support him against the desk. He breathes heavily and sways slightly as a dizzy spell threatens to knock him over.

Uma gasps, darting a hand out to his shoulder to support him. In an instant Gil is out of his chair and standing behind Harry with his hands on his upper arms.

"Well that was a lie, wasn't it?" a tone of irritability infiltrates Uma's sass.

Harry shakes his head to rid of the rest of the dizziness.

"Come sit down mate" Gil speaks softly, allowing Harry to stand straighter as he pushes himself off the desk, but he doesn't take his hands off him.

"I need to check in on the new crew mates" Harry says slowly as if he is confused. "Make sure they're all nice and settled."

"The only thing you need is rest" Uma tells him. "You're no use to us half alive."

"It'll be fine. It'll only take a minute."

Uma ignores him as she studies how his eyes are red and unfocused. She shares a look with Gil and nods her head toward her bed before getting out from behind her desk. "Don't care, you're going to sleep" she tells him as she and Gil each take one of Harry's arms to lead him over to the bed. "And if you refuse to do that, Gil will knock you out" she adds to which Gil makes a sound of protest.

Once they have him sitting on the bed after Uma had pulled back the covers, Gil crouches down undoing Harry's bootlaces to take them off. Uma considers getting his coat off of him as well but decides against it, not being bothered with the hassle. She was happy enough to have him in a place where she could watch him to make sure he gets proper rest.

"Sleep as long as you need, alright?" she runs her hand through his hair as Gil pulls the covers over him. "You hear me get up in the morning, roll over and get back to sleep. I only want you up when you can fully function."

Harry hums in acknowledgement, snuggling down further into the mattress. Uma smiles in content, stepping back to stand next to Gil who wears the same expression. Without a word she taps him on the arm and gestures to the door.

He nods in understanding before walking towards the door while Uma grabs a few things from her desk. There was still work to be done before the sun went down, but it could be done elsewhere. Leaving the room quiet for the first mate to catch up with a much-needed friend named sleep.


	8. Soulmates

Soulmates were a tragic myth as far as the Isle was concerned. Over in Auradon it was fundamentally a law to seek out your soulmate. Young girls would spend hours talking at sleepovers about finding their true love. How they were going to be swept off their feet and have lots of children, when they were just as little as eight. Not even old enough to grasp the true concept of love.

Teenage boys would gather with friends running around the kingdom, following the direction the compass on their wrist would point. Most of the time it didn't work, sometimes it did. Love was a funny thing like that.

On the Isle things were different. Uma had learned to stop questioning the tattoo of a frozen compass needle on her wrist pretty quickly. Her mother would only tell her that no matter who it pointed to; they would break her heart. Love was only meant to hurt you.

Harry had never questioned his tattoo. He'd heard his father angrily lecture Harriet when she was younger, telling her that love was a child's game. It was pointless to run around trying to find something you could never reach. Love didn't exist.

Everyone on the Isle knew that whether love existed or not, they could never find their soulmate. Even true love didn't work under the barrier, so their compasses stayed frozen in place on their skin. Love would get you killed anyway. It was just another leverage for people to use against each other.

Yet, despite this. Uma and Harry still stared at the unmoving compasses on their wrists, far more often than they would ever admit to.

* * *

Feet shuffled and quiet voices murmured nervously before the barrier as they waited for it to be opened. In the distance they could see the palace of Auradon, its people gathering bellow it. Either to welcome them into their new home or to kill them, no one was quite sure yet.

Uma stood at the front and centre of the crowd both her boys standing beside her. While everyone moved with nervous energy around her, she remained still, her eyes fixed on a spot of purple in the distance up on the castle balcony. Faintly she could make out a sliver of silver held in its grasp, the one object that could grant their freedom.

All of a sudden, the voices quietened down and the shuffling stopped as the wand was raised. Collectively the people of the Isle held their breath as in the distance a spell was said.

Gold shimmers rained down as the barrier was broken, leaving a glittering line where seconds ago they would not have been able to cross. It was if the world slowed down and no one was willing to move. All that they could do was stare at the line left by the broken barrier, slowly processing that their lifelong quest for freedom was no more.

Ever so slowly people began to break out of their daze. Some running over the line, leaping and cheering with glee. Others stepped over it with beaming smiles on their faces, their arms stretched out as if they would grow wings. A few others held onto each other as the stepped over, tears spilling out of their eyes.

But Uma and her boys stood frozen watching on as others experienced their first taste of freedom. Gil was the first to move, kicking up sparkles from the barrier as he passed through it, laughing as they shimmered in the sunlight. It was only when he turned back around to gesture for his friends to come through, did they finally find it in them to move their feet.

* * *

Uma felt a pulse jolt within her body as she stepped over the line, she had never experienced it but she knew it was from the presence of magic. She felt electric as it coursed through her veins filling her with new life. As the tingling in her limbs faded away and she became accustomed to the magic which was her birth right, she took a deep breath of the new air. It felt cleaner, lighter, as it filled her lungs. The space around her seemed to open up like stepping out of an enclosed space. On the Isle she had never felt suffocated in her captivity but now that she was free, she knew that she had been.

Around her she saw people beginning to look around at their surroundings. Up at the sky where the white clouds were no longer grey and parted so the sun could shine through. Looking off the edge of the new bridge watching the clear blue water rippling peacefully bellow. But Uma found herself looking back to the Isle, a place which she could now leave behind.

Distantly she became aware of excited voices as groups formed together looking at the tattoos on their wrists. People pulling up their sleeves and taking off their gloves, their eyes following where the needle pointed. She hadn't thought about the tattoo on her wrist for so long that she'd forgotten it was there.

Without even knowing it she reached for her sleeve and pulled it back. Although it had been a while since she'd looked at her tattoo, she swore that it was darker than before, as if the barrier had dulled its colour. Curiously she ran her opposite thumb over it. She made to turn around back to the groups ahead of her still looking at her tattoo, but stopped in her tracks.

Her heart fluttered and a laugh escaped her when she found that it moved._ It moved_! All of her mother's words about love only existing to hurt, faded at the sight of the needle pointing to her left instead of to the tips of her fingers where it had otherwise pointed to all her life.

For a little while she let herself sway on the spot watching as the needle moved from left to right. Unbeknownst to her, Harry stood next to her doing the same thing.

It wasn't until they turned to face each other in synchrony that they both stopped, as if fate had told them to. For the second time that day it was like time slowed down as they looked up from their wrists and over to each other.

When their eyes connected, it was like all the memories they had shared together crashed into them all at once.

* * *

When they were kids and Harry had found her crying under the wharf after the shrimp incident. He had been so small back then, and had let her hold the hook he was carrying which was far too big for his hand.

Then they were older at the Chip Shop, where he had helped her do the dishes one night when she was tired after her mother had given her an extra shift. Smiles lit up their faces as they threw bubbles from the sink at each other before Ursula yelled at them to keep it down. But they had continued laughing quietly to themselves after she had gone.

The memories shifted to them both up in Uma's room, Harry stitching up her hand from breaking a bottle in a fit of rage after Mal had been accepted into Auradon. Afterward he had stayed with her all night, letting her cry into his shoulder until she fell asleep. He had never brought it up.

It showed them on Lost Revenge after Uma had won the ship, Harry instructing the newfound crew on how to fix things. Only just starting to grow into his lanky build.

Next, they were sword fighting on the beach, taking time away from the crew and the stresses of the Isle. Afterward they would sometimes race into the water to cool off before wading back to dry off on the sandy shore, side by side.

Suddenly, Uma was in Harry's arms as he carried her back from the beach after her defeat at the Cotillion, her being too tired and weak to walk.

They were shown all their adventures together: the search for the Triton's trident, the duels with Mal and the other gangs of the Isle, their quest to save Auradon. All leading up to the point where they are now. Looking into each other's eyes.

* * *

Uma felt so small looking up at him, so vulnerable under the piercing gaze of his icy blue eyes, and yet so safe. Before she knew it, their lips were against each other, their bodies fitting together so perfectly like they were built out of the same stone. She melted into his touch as his hand cupped around the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. Her own arms slunk around his waist, not wanting to let him go.

When he pulled away her neck reached up, her lips wanting more. They stared at each other, their eyes saying a million things that they would have never been able to say on the Isle. It was only when Harry reached back down to her lips, did she relax again.

Cheers sounded from around them as their crew saw them together. Their lips broke away from each other, but they did not release their hold. Uma couldn't help but let out a laugh, seeing her crew so happy for them as she held her soulmate in her arms.


	9. Genetic Predispositions

**Warning:** Although it's not very descriptive, this story deals with the topic of AUD (Alcohol use Disorder). If this could be triggering for you or upsetting in anyway, please don't read this. Otherwise read at your own discretion and enjoy the story.

* * *

The ceremony was as boring as to be expected, and Uma wasn't even sure what it was for. Only that representatives from all over Auradon were invited. Nevertheless, it was a nice excuse to dress up and have a day off classes to prepare for the festivities beforehand. Even if it meant small talking with sovereigns for hours afterward.

In amidst small talking with an envoy from Agrabah, Uma notices Harry standing uncomfortably behind her. Subtly she reaches her hand back to hold onto his wrist while she finishes up the short conversation. "Let's go get some air" she suggests taking his hand as the envoy walks away, merging back into the crowd. On instinct his fingers close around hers but she knows his mind is elsewhere.

While she walks beside him, she can hear him breathing deeply, knowing that he can smell the alcohol in the air. It tempting him, beckoning him. Protectively she places her other hand on his arm, as if it would create a barrier between him and the tables displaying the glasses of liquor as they walk past them. Although she's not surprised that his eyes stay fixed on their pathway, she is relieved nonetheless. A small spark of gratitude flickers in her chest as they continue toward the ballroom exit.

"Hey you two! Wanna drink?" Jay calls out to them standing with Carlos by a table next to the exit, exhibiting various forms of spirits.

"No thanks, I'm not drinking tonight" Uma declines, walking toward the two boys but continuing along her path.

"What about you, Harry?" Jay presses. "You've never been one to turn down a drink."

Uma closes her eyes and lets out a worried breath. Of course, Jay didn't know, he had left for Auradon before their lives turned to shit and Harry had become a slave to the bottle. She knew he didn't mean anything by it in his obliviousness, but she silently begged him to shut his mouth.

"Not drinking either" Harry's voice slightly stutters in his refusal.

"Come on man. Live a little" Jay encourages light-heartedly, holding out a glass to him.

Before Uma can stop him, Harry has Jay pinned with his forearm at his neck against the archway. It was lucky that the ex-thief had the sense to hold onto the glass instead of letting it drop and smash against the floor. Though his eyes burn in aggravation as the liquor spills over the rim of the glass, sloshing onto his trousers.

"_Don't!_" Harry barks and although his voice is mostly lost in the roar of the crowd, Jay's eyes still go wide at the heightened volume. "Tempt me" Harry finishes in a deadly whisper, his body shaking in restraint.

Uma is aware that she should do something, but she knows Harry has no intention of hurting him. So instead she hangs back waiting for her first mate to release the other boy on his own accord.

Carlos, however, has no intention of waiting. "Is he drunk already?" he directs at Uma as he puts his glass down on the table before stepping over to the other boys.

"Surely not, you were one of the best drinkers on the Isle" Jay's words of disbelief get his neck pushed further into the archway.

"Harry, that's enough" Uma says calmly as she steps forward placing a gentle hand on his bicep. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Ben coming toward them, Mal and Evie trailing along behind him.

Obeying the command Harry removes his arm allowing Jay to go free. Thankfully he doesn't retaliate like he would have done on the Isle years ago.

"What was _that_ about?" Jay asks, his voice raising a pitch in confusion.

"You don't understand" Uma says placing her hand on Harry's chest and stepping backward, pulling him back with her. Her grip relaxes slightly when she notices he's not trying to resist her, but she can feel him shaking beneath her touch.

"What's going on here?" Ben asks calmly stepping into the group, folding his hands diplomatically in front of him.

Uma says nothing as Carlos gives Ben a run down of events while Mal and Evie check that Jay is okay, him brushing them off. At the conclusion of Carlos' recount, all the eyes of the group are on her. From the look that Ben gives her, it is clear that he knows there is a deeper meaning. The group around them stays silent as the two leaders share in a silent conversation.

"It's a genetic predisposition" Uma gives Ben the last piece of the puzzle as she lowers her hand from Harry's chest to take hold of his shaking hand.

Ben nods his head in understanding, though the rest of the group remain in confusion. "Uma if you would continue to escort Harry outside" he dismisses them without another word, and Uma doesn't miss the pity in his eyes.

* * *

"You alright?" Uma turns her head toward Harry lying on the grass next to her.

For awhile he is silent, looking at the stars shinning in the sky above them, before he turns his head toward her. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asks, rolling onto her side to face him.

"For getting me to lay off Jay" he says.

"That was all you, Harry" she shakes her head. "You weren't going to hurt him."

"How could you know? I wasn't sure myself."

She smiles fondly at him, "I know you, Harry. Sometimes better than you know yourself."


	10. Nothings

**CPR:**

Everything was in chaos. It didn't matter that the fight with the rival gang had ended minutes ago, people were still running around frantically. Bits of rope hung down from where their adversaries had cut their mast and a few of crew were working on lowering the sail before it could fall. Other crew members ran around the deck checking and tending to the injured. Uma was one of those people.

She had stationed herself over at the bow of the ship, away from most of the commotion, after gathering up as many resources as they had and a few more crewmates to help her tend to those who were injured. They had won the battle, but they had paid for it dearly.

From behind her she slowly becomes aware of a voice yelling out commands and the ropes beginning to move above them. Looking over her shoulder, she sees Harry and a few others grab a hold of a crew member being lowered by the ropes, hanging limply and drenched with water.

Quickly she finishes off bandaging the arm of the person she's working on before standing and making her way over to the crowd which obscures her view from the boy lying on the deck. As she comes closer the tightly packed group instantly parts for her and she sees Harry kneeling on the deck performing chest compressions. Around him everyone is nervous and frozen with fear, not wanting to lose their crew mate.

All of a sudden, the boy lurches up choking and Harry grabs him by the shoulder, rolling him on his side so that the water spills out onto the deck. Relieved sighs and quiet words of celebration pass through the crew as they latch onto each other in relief. Though Uma watches Harry as he stays with his hand on the boy's shoulder, catching his breath.

He looks exhausted as he stares down at the deck for a few moments, chest heaving, before he squeezes the boy's shoulder and finds Uma's eyes. She can see he's spent but he raises his eyebrows at her and fixes her with a look as if to say '_it was nothing.'_

* * *

**Battle wounds:**

The sound of clanging swords from the deck of the Lost Revenge rings throughout the wharf. On board, the older crew members spar with the younger recruits, teaching them the ways of the sword. Critiques and commendations are acknowledged by the mentors as blades clash. Though mostly good-natured ribbing is called out between pairs as they spar back and forth.

Suddenly a yelp sounds from the midst of the swinging swords and everyone steps apart, a silence falling over them. At the sudden quiet Harry looks over from where he was talking with a few other crewmates and makes his way over to the little girl on the ground, cradling her arm.

In front of her, an older boy is apologising profusely, which is practically unheard of around the Isle, and offering that she can nick him back. At the sight of Harry approaching them through the crowd he swallows in fear, expecting him to berate him for his carelessness. Though he's stopped short of words as Harry completely ignores him as he crouches down in front of the girl, his blank expression morphing into one of nurture.

"Oh, looks pretty bad. I think we're going to have to amputate it" Harry jokes and the girl manages a watery laugh through her tears.

Carefully he pokes around the edge of the cut assessing whether it needs to be stitched. After ripping off a strip of his already torn shirt he carefully wraps it around the cut. More to obscure it from the girl's vision rather than as a permanent solution.

"Come on, let's get you stitched up" he says picking her up in one arm, the girl wrapping her arms around his neck as they head off into the depths of the ship. "Might scar a bit, but there's nothing like your first battle wound."

* * *

**Nightmares:**

Screams tore through the silence of the night, waking up the lower ranks of the crew from sleep in their cabin. Submerged in darkness they could only just make out the shape of a crew member tossing in their bunk in the grips of a nightmare.

Everyone in the cabin was frozen, not knowing what to do. Nightmares weren't uncommon on the Isle, but rarely were people driven to hysterics. Though they all knew enough that if you woke someone up, they could become violent and disorientated.

"Someone, do something" a voice speaks up.

"Why don't _you_ do something?"

"Yeah, you were the first person to say anything" another voice seconds.

"Well someone do _something._ He'll wake the Captain up."

As if on cue they hear footsteps approaching from down the corridor. Everyone freezes, afraid to breathe or make a sound as if by not moving the threat of waking their captain wouldn't apply to them. When the door opens most of them push themselves back against the wall while others throw their covers back over them and pretend to be asleep. Eyes widen at the figure that stands in the doorway, and swallows of fear are almost auditable.

The first mate stands in the doorframe, casting a long shadow through the room. Gone is his hat and signature red coat, wearing only loose pants and a night shirt. Perhaps it would have been better if Uma had been the one woken up, at least she ruled with an odd mix of revenge and nurture. Whereas, Harry ruled with both intimidation and fear.

No one dared to speak as Harry's eyes flicked throughout the room, surveying the surroundings. A few people flinched as he stepped out from under the doorway and strode over to the boy crying out in his bunk. A handful of them expected him to roughly drag him out from his bed and up to the deck to be disciplined, but they were hugely mistaken as the first mate knelt before him on the floor.

The entire room fell silent, and still Harry's soft words couldn't be made out. Somehow with the low sounds of his voice the boy didn't lash out as he woke and even when the screams stopped, Harry didn't stop talking to him. Still keeping his voice low, he coaxed to boy up to a sitting position and placed a hand on his knee to ground him when he became disorientated. As he gave the boy time to gather his surroundings, his voice never stopped. The crew still couldn't hear what he was saying but they could tell it was reassuring as their crew mate's breathing steadied and his face began to colour. Though they themselves were speechless as they saw the first mate stand and wrap a blanket around the boy's shoulders before giving him a hand up and leading him out the door.

Uma walked through the corridors of the ship, a lantern in hand lighting up her path. She'd spoken to the lower ranks after the screaming had stopped and they had told her that Harry had taken the crew mate away but they didn't know where. They'd seemed rattled but she wasn't sure if it was because of the hysterical nightmare or because their Captain was in their cabin in the dead of night. Not that it mattered to her. Her priority was checking that everyone was okay, and that included the crew mate that she was yet to find.

Turning a corner, she sees a light shining from the kitchen and makes her way over. As she nears the doorway, she can hear Harry's voice from inside. "Just take ye time" he soothes as the crew mates works on explaining the events of his nightmare.

Uma can hear the stuttering of his voice as she steps into the doorway, but she can't make out what he's saying. Her heart warms at the sight of Harry sitting with the crew member at the table, wrapped in a blanket with his back to her.

Seeing her stop in the doorway, Harry looks further up over the boy's shoulder and fixes her with a knowing look. From his eyes she can tell that he has everything under control. She nods her head to him and turns on her heel leaving the two boys alone, knowing that the crew is in good hands. There is nothing to worry about.


	11. Lost Boy

**"I'm not supposed to tell you this. But I was talking to Ben and they're thinking of sending you back to the Isle" Uma breaks the silence that had fallen between them.**

**"What's so bad about that?" Harry looks back to her. "I don't fit in here and I never will."**

**"The crew's here. I'm here, and you're my first mate" she tries but even now she feels like her words won't stick.**

**"The crew's dead Uma" Harry says suddenly. "We all split a long time ago."**

* * *

Harry Hook didn't want revenge – not anymore. He wanted to cause mischief and wreak havoc, but he couldn't get away with it here. Though that didn't necessarily stop him. For the first week since he and the crew had moved to Auradon, they had pulled pranks and disobeyed rules together. That was until people started realising that they didn't like getting in trouble for it, and gradually they all went their separate ways.

Since then Harry had largely stopped breaking rules and causing disturbances, though fights were common and his shirt never stayed tucked in. It wasn't any fun for him to cause mischief with no one to do it with or no one who would celebrate his achievements with him. Instead he closed in on himself.

He'd see the crew around the place laughing and making new friends as he walked past them with no place to go, no purpose. Some of them were old enough to finish school this year and were talking about their futures. He didn't have one planned out – well, here anyway.

Uma talked about hers a lot. She was the only one that stuck around him. Without their ship the crew were barely in one place at a time. Even in the mess hall they all sat apart with their new friend groups. Sometimes Gil sat with them, sometimes he didn't. Though Harry still called him a friend because he never remembered a time when they decided that they weren't.

On the Isle he thought that Auradon had taken everything away from him. It wasn't until he got to Auradon that he realised that it was then that Auradon had taken everything away from him. On the Isle he had all he wanted.

* * *

Magical History became his favourite class. Not because he liked the subject, in fact he despised it. He'd heard enough of his father's drunken rants about pixie dust so that, although he knew a lot about it, he never wanted to hear about it again. But from his desk, he could look out the window and across the water to the Isle where he could see the old ship docked against the wharf.

He got detention many a time for zoning out as he stared back at his home. Little did they realise that being in Auradon was enough of a punishment for him.

* * *

"You can't keep walking outta that class" Uma says from behind him while he faces away from her out to the water.

"Well I ain't gonna sit there and listen to the fairy talk shit about my father! Her whole curriculum is biased!" Harry bites back, not even turning to look at her. It hadn't been long since he'd stormed out of History of Woodsmen and Pirates, he hadn't even known what the blasted Tinkerbell was speaking about but something in him clicked and he decided that he'd had enough.

He'd hated that class to begin with. Everyone always thought that he wasn't listening to whatever Tinkerbell was saying, just because he didn't wear the standard headphones that allowed the rest of the class to hear her speak. He could hear her just fine. Though he wished he couldn't.

It was clear that she hated him. Her eyes almost never left him, like she didn't trust him. Sometimes that suited Harry fine so he could glare back at her, sometimes he just wanted to be left alone.

It didn't help any that he'd quickly taken to sitting at the back of the classroom so he could avoid most of his classmate's stares every time his father was mentioned. Those who chose to look back had to live with getting glared back at with a hundred times the ferocity. Eventually they all chose not to.

"Look, Harry. You know the class is compulsory, you have to pass it" Uma says as she sits down on the sand next to him, and he fights the temptation to shuffle away. "If you keep walking out, they'll fail you and you'll have to retake it."

"Everything in that class is wrong" Harry refuses to accept. "I won't sit through it when I know full well how everything _really _happened."

"You know everything how your father told it to you" Uma points out.

"That means the same thing" Harry mutters quickly under his breath.

Uma sighs before she turns toward him, shuffling back a little so she can stretch her legs out. "Maybe everything isn't so black and white."

"You _fucking_ serious?" Harry glares at her. "You're taking their side?"

"Our parents were hellbent on revenge since they lost. I wouldn't be surprised if they changed parts of stories to make it easier on their egos" she rationalises.

Harry is silent for a long while, staring out across the ocean in front of them. Whether it's because her point made some sort of sense to him or that he can't comprehend it at all, Uma doesn't know. It feels like minutes that she waits for him to speak, only to come to the conclusion that he doesn't plan to.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this. But I was talking to Ben and they're thinking of sending you back to the Isle" Uma breaks the silence that had fallen between them.

"What's so bad about that?" Harry looks back to her. "I don't fit in here and I never will."

"The crew's here. I'm here, and you're my first mate" she tries but even now she feels like her words won't stick.

"The crew's dead Uma" Harry says suddenly, deadly serious. "We all split a long time ago."

"I can help you if you want to stay" she tells him earnestly.

"Well the thing is, lass" Uma flinches as Harry calls her a generic name rather than her own. "I don't want to stay. I couldn't leave soon enough."

* * *

Those were the last words they said to each other for a long time – aside from when they had said goodbye before he was driven away in a limousine.

Since then Uma had gone back to her studies and focusing on her future in Auradon without Harry in the way to stop her. She had started reforging the friendship she had with Gil. She met his new friends and hung out with them a lot, but she missed Harry. Life around there wasn't the same without him.

* * *

Months after Harry's departure, Uma started hearing whispers that he was doing well for himself back on the Isle. Apparently, he was practically running the place after taking over his father's crew. The captain was getting older after not needing to be resurrected from death before being thrown onto the Isle, twenty or so years prior. His crew had some unrest that he was no longer suitable to be captain and had welcomed the prospect of Harry taking over from him.

Except Captain Hook wouldn't give up his crew without a fight. The duel between father and son was said to be legendary, both being skilled swordsmen it was thought to be an even match. Though the older man had made the mistake of teaching his son everything that he knew, years prior. The duel ended with Harry disarming him, and with a sword and his own hook to his father's neck, the crew was his.

Uma doesn't know why she always thought that he needed her to operate. Maybe it was because he followed her orders without question that she thought he wasn't capable of making his own. But now she sees that under her leadership, his talents as a Captain had stayed hidden and she was stupid not to notice them until now.

Dare she say she was jealous that out from under her rule and with his own crew, he was running the Isle better than she had been able to. Over time she found herself making friends with the new transfers from the Isle just to see how he was doing. Though no amount of information she could get out of them could fill the hole his departure had left inside her. She still had so many questions: What territories does he have? Is he hurt? Does he regret leaving? Does he think about her?

For weeks she found herself zoning out in class, looking over at the Isle through any window that could see it. She would take herself down to the water and stand amongst the waves to be closer to it. Not for some time connecting that in her heart, she felt a deep longing for it. When the connection was finally made, she started to think about going back to it. Though the logical part of her brain would push it down and remind her that she would have a safer future in Auradon. A better future.

Subconsciously she would plan how to get back there, unaware that her mind was actually considering it. She quickly ruled out the thought of doing something terrible and being sent back, she wanted to leave with what dignity she had. She also knew that she didn't want to tell anyone, lest it find its way to Gil. If he found out she was leaving he would feel pressure to follow her and she wanted him to stay and enjoy his new life off the Isle.

* * *

It wasn't until she couldn't get to sleep one night that she made the split-second decision to get out of bed and pack her things. She didn't have much – that she wanted to take anyway. So, she stuffed all the clothes that she wanted and all the money that she had into a backpack which she slung over her shoulder.

She wrote Mal – and simultaneously Evie – a note. Knowing that Mal would understand why she left, though Evie wouldn't. She thought about writing Gil one, it was what he deserved but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Knowing that she would regret writing one if he followed her more than she would regret not writing him one at all.

In the dark of the night she made her bed and slipped out the window, the few things left behind in her room the only sign that she was ever there. Quietly she crept along the rooftops before scaling down the walls of the dormitories, keeping out of sight. Walking through the courtyard in the dark brought back memories of her and Harry breaking curfew before she had started to unknowingly push him away. Though this time she only feared getting caught because she knew they would try to stop her from leaving.

Without a hitch she made it to the small garage by the waterfront and enchanted a pushbike to take her across the water. It seemed stupid considering the number of mopeds and motorbikes stored there but she didn't want to take something that actually mattered.

* * *

The gates to the Isle once again greeted her with a sense of foreboding. Only this time she was entering back into a world of dangers that she knew, and not entering a world where she knew nothing. She left the bike leaning against the arch, having no further use for it. Someone could pick it up in the morning and sell it for parts for all she cared.

Swallowing nervously, she sets off walking deeper into her home, her hands feeling empty without her sword. She knows she is quick but she also knows the Isle is a changed place since she left over a year ago and she's probably out of practice. There is no guarantee she could escape a fight unscathed, or escape at all.

By the time she reaches the old wharf, the sun is rising and people are starting to mill about the place, opening up their market stalls or beginning to fish off the dock. Everything looks so different from how she left it; dare she say it looks better. Gone are the wobbly boards and the holes in the boardwalk, and there is more order. No one is yelling off their balcony for someone to get off their fishing spot or away from their market stall. Everyone looks happier, their faces cleaner and more well-fed.

Down in the water she sees her old ship. Out of anything around the wharf, it is the only thing that remains unchanged. Though it seems that someone has been keeping it up to sailing condition. The sails are raised signalling that the ship is not in use, but the deck has been scrubbed clean to keep the wood from rotting.

Uma hears him before she sees him. She would recognise that laugh anywhere. Following its direction, she descends the levels of the wharf coming to walk past her old ship, not sparing it more than a second glance as she continues toward the Jolly Rodger a little further along.

* * *

As she approaches, she sees Harry standing on deck with two other members of the crew, no doubt giving out orders for the day. A sense of nostalgia washes over her as she remembers doing that task herself for years up until many months ago. And suddenly she jealous again, seeing how happy he looks; how happy he would have looked without her.

"Captain!" a member of the crew calls out to Harry from the crow's nest, gesturing over to Uma as she stops a little way from the ship. She didn't want to get too close not knowing how Harry will react to seeing her, and what he may command his crew to do in response. Now she is technically a nobody with no name, no reputation after she abandoned the Isle for Auradon. Ursula didn't have a fearsome enough reputation to protect her like Maleficent did for Mal.

Nervously she watches as Harry's eyes look down to her, and he says something to the crew members before he leaves them and heads down to the gangplank. She breathes out a sigh of relief seeing him approaching her alone with only his hook in hand, so she figures that he isn't going to fight her.

Though her heart doesn't stop racing as he approaches her. With the space between them closing she realises that she has no idea what to say to him, and she tells him as much when he stops in front of her.

Harry chuckles down at her and Uma notices how much he's grown as she looks back up at him. Not so much in getting taller but he looks older, more sophisticated. Back in his long red coat reminiscent of his father but missing the pirate hat. His hook still shines in his hand and dark charcoal lines his eyes again – how she'd missed that.

"Took you longer than I'd thought" Harry tells her causally like they'd just spoken the other day, not having months of no communication between them.

"You knew I would come?" Uma asks him.

Harry hums affirmatively, nodding his head before frowning at her. "What's that look for?"

Uma blinks as she realises she's shying away from him, feeling like she is nothing under his control of the situation, his control over the wharf. He could say he doesn't want to see her and be done with her, leaving her with nothing she can do about it. That prospect is so unfamiliar to her. "You seem so different" is what she settles for.

"So do you" he looks down at her, seeing her missing all of her usual confidence.

"You were right, you know" Uma admits, looking down at the wharf in defeat. "Auradon wasn't all it cracked up to be."

"What's wrong about that?" Harry asks. "You're back here now."

"I have nothing here, Harry" Uma tells him sadly, her eyes close to tears. She flicks her eyes around the wharf, the place she used to run, before they fall back on the person who owns it standing in front of her. "I abandoned everyone, and I abandoned you back in Auradon because I was too self-centred to see you struggling. You rule my old turf now, you could kick me out and never see me again if you wanted to." Uma's voice is shaky and she fidgets with her hands wishing she could reach out and touch Harry, feel some connection to him again. She missed him.

"If you thought that, why did you come to me as the first thing you did?"

"I don't know" Uma bites her lip and averts her eyes to keep from crying.

Harry scoffs slightly and steps forward wrapping his arms around her. At first, she is too shocked that he wanted anything to do with her to be able to move, but eventually she moves her arms around his waist without question. "You don't have nothing, there's the old ship waiting for you" he tells her placing a kiss on the top of her head like he used to do.

"I missed you" Uma sobs into his chest as he continues to hold her.

She feels him laugh a little and he tightens his hold on her. "There's none of the crew left anymore, but there are a few kids in the alleys that could do with a good home."

"I don't want to be a Captain anymore" she tells him and he pulls away from her in shock.

He blinks at her, thinking he mustn't have heard her right.

"I don't have a purpose anymore, Harry. I had the crew to help me get off the Isle and get revenge on Auradon" she explains. "We got our freedom, but I don't want revenge anymore."

Harry seems to relax as her point makes sense to him. "What are you going to do then?"

"You tell me, Captain Hook."


End file.
